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IRGC General Yahya Rahim-Safavi, senior advisor to Ali Khamenei and former Chief Commander of the IRGC, said in a June 12, 2024 address that was aired on SNN.ir that Iran needs to increase the depth of its strategic defense to 5,000 kilometers. He said that the Iranian defense should expand beyond its borders. He gave examples of historical Persian leaders who made vast territorial conquests, like Cyrus the Great, who liberated Jerusalem and King Xerxes who led his troops to Anatolia and took over Greece. Safavi said that Iran’s reach has expanded through Hizbullah to the Mediterranean Sea. He added that Iran is also present at the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
Yahya Rahim-Safavi: "We do not intend to make conquest and expand our territory – read the Leader's new fatwa... However, if any power – like the United States – attacks us, we will hunt them down all the way across the ocean. Esteemed Admiral, this is my opinion. I believe that we have to increase the depth of our strategic defense to 5,000 kilometers. I say this as a soldier of this regime. I do not know about what people in the higher positions [think], but as a teacher of geopolitics and a member of the IRGC, I believe that our defense should expand beyond our borders. We should have presence on sea, land, and air, as well as beyond this planet.
"Three times in history, we Iranians... About 513 years BC, Cyrus the Great went to Jerusalem, and liberated it, together with the Jews, and then he liberated Egypt. At 480 years BC, King Xerxes led 600,000 troops from Iran to Anatolia – present day Turkey... He crossed the Dardanelles or Bosphorus Strait and took over Greece. In those two cases, we went there militarily. Now, it is the third time that our presence reached the Mediterranean Sea. With the inception of the resistance group of Hizbullah in Lebanon, we are indeed present at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
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"Hizbullah of Lebanon is in line with the beliefs of the Islamic Revolution. Even Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, despite being Sunni organizations, are operating in line with the goals defined by pure Islam of the Prophet Mohammad. This third time, we are not only present next to the Mediterranean Sea, but also by the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, in addition, we have been present in the Persian Gulf and continue to be."
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